Ladders of Light
A new Constitution for the UK by Lemn Sissay MBE and award-winning artist Mary Branson in collaboration with SkyArts50 Project
LARGE SCALE LIGHT INSTALLATIONS
Commissioned by Sky Arts these two artistic responses to the Brexit debut involving award winning poet Lemn Sissay and light artist Mary Branson. Ladders of Light was a new ‘constitution’ for the UK, with words by Lemn and illuminated by Mary’s ladders. They both ask us, playfully at times , to explore different perspectives on today’s United Kingdom.
The installation reflects the fact that the Cathedral is custodian of a 1215 Magna Carta, the best preserved of only four remaining in the world and the foundation stone of the UK’s unwritten constitution.
In his new poem, Magniloquent Cartilage, Lemn rejects political speak, focusing instead on our individual responsibilities to one another. He challenges us to view the world from an alternative perspective. His constitutional demands built from within, are unexpected and surprising.
Drone footage by Jacques Eloff, courtesy of Salisbury cathedral.
Ladders of Light Exhibition, 2019 – Curator, Jacquiline Cresweli, Poet, Lemn Sissay and artist, Mary Branson.
Detail of Ladders of Light installation. Courtesy of the artists and SkyArt Selection
Detail of Ladders of Light by Mary Branson. Courtesy of the artist and SkyArt
Detail of Ladders of Light by Mary Branson. Courtesy of the artist and SkyArt
Detail of Ladders of Light by Mary Branson. Courtesy of the artist and SkyArt
Mary’s compelling site-specific Ladders of Light installation is inspired by ideas of social mobility, equality and generosity. She explores the fragility of humanity by using ladders of light that we cannot climb. She uses her delicate ladders as bridges to re-define the space within the grand Gothic architecture, they guided our eyes from the cathedral floor and drew them up and across, offering an uplifting sense of hope. Mary’s message is for our nation to grow and prosper, there is a need for more social, political and religious diversity and mobility. Raising the low in society to reach higher.
Detail of Ladders of Light by Mary Branson. Courtesy of the artist and SkyArt
“There was a real tension between the two elements of this exhibition which reflected the state of our country in 2019. Lemn Sissay’s poem focused on the individual. He asks that we change ourselves first and government afterwards, while Mary’s response was more direct: a bold representation of a society that empowers and connects, enabling all to flourish and succeed. The ladders of light are a metaphor for hope and aspiration, for movement up and down, crossing divides, overcoming barriers and laying a pathway to a more just society”
The exhibition inspired a series of three facilitated panel conversations in collaboration with BBC Wiltshire, that asked how we should govern ourselves and how we should talk and listen to one another points of view.
The exhibition was opened by Lemn Sissay MBE and Mary Branson
Image: Magniloquent Cartilage, 2019. A poetic Charter by poet Lemn Sissay. Courtesy of the poet and SkyArt
Photographs by Ash Mills and Zach Culpin, courtesy of Salisbury Catthedral, Drone footage by Jacques Eloff, courtesy of Salisbury cathedral.